Satellite News

LISA Pathfinder, the European Space Agency’s (ESA) gravitational-wave detection technology demonstrator, built by Airbus Defence and Space, has achieved the next milestone to enable science operations. Satellite operators from ESA, supported by engineers from Airbus Defence and Space, successfully released the test masses (nicknamed Jake and Elwood) inside the spacecraft’s scientific instrument.

Telesat and Panasonic Avionics Corporation (Panasonic) announced that Panasonic has signed another multi-year contract for Telesat satellite capacity.

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. said they will reattempt the launch of an H-IIA rocket carrying the X-ray astronomy satellite ASTRO-H on 17 February.

The Proton-M launch vehicle earmarked for the Russian-European ExoMars-2016 mission has been delivered to Baikonur. The Proton-M will orbit the scientific equipment including the Schiaparelli entry, descent and landing demonstrator module (“Schiaparelli”), and the Trace Gas Orbiter module.

The 50th Space Wing accepted satellite control authority of the final Global Positioning System GPS IIF satellite from the GPS Directorate.

As NOAA’s Joint Polar Satellite System-1 (JPSS-1) satellite moves towards its early 2017 launch date, the fifth and final instrument, the ATMS (Advanced Technology Microwave Sounder), an instrument critical to forecasting weather three to seven days in advance, has been integrated with the satellite.

Millennium Space Systems has started spacecraft integration of the United States Air Force’s Wide Field of View (WFOV) Testbed. The WFOV spacecraft bus platform will be functionally integrated, tested and checked out in summer 2016, in preparation for sensor integration.

Aerojet Rocketdyne has been awarded a contract valued at more than US$2.5 million from NASA’s Advanced Exploration Systems Division to develop and demonstrate a high-power electric propulsion system. Once fully developed, the technology will help reduce trip times and the cost of human spaceflight.